CHAPTER 105
Transcript
White House Press Briefing regarding the “Flash Flu” Outbreak
Adam Rice (WH Press Secretary): Good morning everyone. I’m going to read a brief statement, then I’ll take a few questions. “The President and his administration are taking steps to assess and address the health concern the media is referring to as ‘The Flash Flu.’ Earlier today, The President ordered the CDC to dedicate all available resources to assessing the threat. Pending the results of that assessment, the White House may take further actions to ensure every American’s safety.”
[Rice sets the statement down and points at the first reporter.]
Reporter: Has the President set a timetable for closing the borders?
[Rice exhales and looks off-camera.]
Rice: The President has said repeatedly that closing the borders is a last resort. We know what the impact would be on American businesses, both large and small. Look, we understand there’s a public health issue here. But there’s also an economic risk. Closing the borders poses a very real risk to the American economy. The flu may affect many Americans, but closing the borders would definitely cause an immediate recession that would endanger more Americans — especially those at or below the poverty level — than a flu outbreak. We’re taking a balanced approach here. The President is not going to put anyone at risk — whether it’s at the hands of the flu or a trade recession.
Reporter: What’s your official response to the reports from Asia, the Middle East, and Europe?
Rice: We’re taking them seriously, but we’re also conducting a careful, balanced review of the information. We’re still working with incomplete information, and frankly, we don’t think all of it is reliable.
Reporter: Are you referring to the eyewitness reports, the videos—
[Rice holds a hand up.]
Rice: Look, as for the videos on the internet, it’s one of those things, you know, where you’re going to see the worst. No one makes a YouTube video about themselves sitting at home, healthy as can be, eating cereal or doing aerobics. They, you know, make these videos when there’s something sensational. We’ve all seen them at this point, some Japanese guy sitting at a sushi bar and puking blood everywhere, a lady at the grocery store collapsing in the vegetable aisle with white ooze running from her nose and fingernails. Hey, look, we’ve seen them and there are going to be more of them. If you live your life based on what you see on YouTube, you’re going to make some pretty poor decisions, and that’s what we’re trying to avoid here. It’s not even clear if these videos are real, and if they are, they could be related to any number of acute health issues.
[Rice holds both arms up.]
Rice: Ok, that’s it for today, thank you all.